Russia 1993, in a small cafe in downtown Moscow, I sat with my tour guide, Olga. It was the middle of winter and I was the only one on the city tour that day. With the formalities of the tour over, it was the perfect opportunity to ask some personal questions. Olga was in her mid 60’s and had lived through the extreme communism of Russia’s past, so I couldn’t wait to ask. “What was it like growing up?” She hesitated for a moment then told me “Everyone had their own opinions, anything that was against government policies would only be talked about with close friends and family, we would never dare voice it in public.” At the time I couldn’t fathom what that would be like, now in Canada 2022, I fear I am starting to understand.
At first thought, for most people, Canada may seem to be the same free Country now as it was back in 1993, but things have changed. Ever so slowly year after year, barely noticeable, freedom of speech has been slipping away. The repressers now are not only the government, but mainstream media and social media.
Disagree? Have you ever had a point of view, no matter how valid you thought it was, you only shared with friends and felt intimidated to admit publicly? Almost everyone I know today seems to. I remember back in 1993, trying to relate to Olga’s statement, I couldn’t think of anyone that did.
Today, even questioning mainstream ideas in public can immediately label you as an extremist that is uneducated, sexist, racist, an idiot, or has some phobia. Careers and businesses can be wiped out with 1 sentence taken out of context, even if made in private.
The latest example of the erosion of our free speech is the trucker’s protest in Ottawa against Covid-19 vaccinations. Although I strongly disagree with them occupying the streets of Ottawa, there are existing traffic laws that gave the police the authority to tow and impound their trucks. There are also existing laws that allow the police to arrest anyone that obstructs them from doing their job. However, the government’s response was beyond extreme, threatening to confiscate their trucks, cancel their insurance, and freeze their bank accounts. They even went so far as to threaten to freeze the bank accounts of anyone that donated to their cause, intimidating anyone that even partially supported the truckers. How long will it be before the government threatens to take everything you have for speaking out against any of their other policies.
The slow loss of our freedoms since 1993 shows no sign of stopping. If it is allowed to continue, where will we be in the next 30 years?
Dave Lister
listerlogic.com
David, you are so right. I can’t help but think that so many brave Canadians (like my father at the age of 19 years old) were willing to risk their lives to keep Canada strong and free as a Democratic society. To give future generations the right to speak and be heard no matter if they were right or wrong without fear of imprisonment. Instead we now have a Prime Minister who is only concerned about how balanced a photo of his cabinet looks in regards of male and female, black, white and brown and not caring that that person (I don’t know are we still allowed to say person) is most qualified for such a position. We as Canadians have always been to quiet and foreboding. I too am not 100% on board with what the truckers did in taking it as far as they did, but I was happy to see that we as Canadians were able to kick back. The way that Justin decided to handle such a situation was a black mark on our society and Canada in general on the world stage. It definitely showed his true colour of being a weak supporter of our civil liberties.